On Friday, President Obama officially nominated former Sen. John Kerry for secretary of state. If confirmed, the Massachusetts Democrat, whom the POTUS described in the Washington Post as someone who "is not going to need a lot of on-the-job training," will replace current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the position.

Kerry, 69, has tempered the approach he adopted as a freshman firebrand. But he has continued to practice personal, face-to-face diplomacy, often in the service of President Obama's foreign policy. In Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt and elsewhere, he has used his stature as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to carry messages, gather information and smooth ruffled feathers for the president.

"In a sense, John's entire life has prepared him for this role," Obama said Friday in nominating Kerry to replace outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. "I think it's fair to say that few individuals know as many presidents and prime ministers or grasp our foreign policies as firmly as John Kerry. And this makes him a perfect choice to guide American diplomacy in the years ahead."